Disk water-meter



(No Model.)

J. THOMSON. DISK'WATER METER.

No. 568,642. Patented Sept. 29, 1896.

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' UNITED STATESPATENT OFFICE.

JOHN THOMSON, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO THE NEPTUNE METER COMPANY, OF JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY.

DISK WATER-METER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 568,642, dated September 29, 1896.

Application filed March 28, 1896. Serial No. 585,270. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern: with special reference to adapting my inven- Be it known that I, JOHN THOMSON, a citition to the utilization of such tubes that the zen of the United States, residing at Brooklyn, present construction is made, having in View in the county of Kings and State of New York, economy, as well as efficiency.

have invented certain new and useful Im- In the embodiment of my invention (shown provements in Disk Water-Meters, of which in the accompanying drawings) the diskthe following is a specification. chamber casing of the meter is made up of My present invention relates to disk Waterupper and lower sections 6 and 7, united in meters, and has special reference to the manany usual way, forming the disk-chamber 1, 1o ner of constructing and arranging the socketand one of the sections, as the lower section bearing for the ball supporting the disk, and 7, is provided with a projection 8, preferably it has for its object to provide a construction cylindrical in form, and in this disk-chamber and arrangement of parts adapted for the emis mounted the disk 9, supported on the ball ployment ofamaterial havingalow coefficient 10 and having the usual spindle 5 projecting 6 I 5 of friction; and to these ends my invention through an opening 2 in the upper section. consists in the various features of construc- The socket-bearing B is preferably made as tion and arrangement of parts, substantially a separate and independent structure adaptas hereinafter set forth. ed to fit in the projection 8 of the casing, and,

In the accompanying drawings I have illus- While it may be variously formed, I prefer to 2o trated an embodiment of my invention and use an outer shell 12 of metal and an inclosshown sufficientdetails to enable those skilled ing head 13, which latter forms or supports in the art to make and use the same, and in the metallic portions of the socket-bearing, said drawingsas well as the antifriction compound, and

Figurelis avertical central section through this latter is preferably arranged in the form 25 a disk-chamber casing, showing the ball and of concentric rings 14 of solidified graphite disk in full lines. Fig. 2 is avertical section compound. These rings fit in recesses or of the socket-bearing, showing the detailsof grooves in the inclosing head 13, and are also construction in the preferred form; and Fig. supported in position by the outer metallic 3 is a similar view showing a modification in shell 12. This shell 12 is preferably formed go the construction of the socket-bearing. with its upper edge 15 arranged at an angle As is well known to those skilled in the art similar to that of the lower frustum 16 of relating to disk water-meters, it is exceedthe disk-chamber, and the interior flange 17 ingly desirable that the disk and its attached preferably corresponds thereto, thus providparts shall be as free to move as possible and ing an efficient means of supporting the outer 3 5 be subject to little friction and Wear, in order ring or portion of antifriction material. In that the meter may continue to operate with making this form of socket-bearing the reabsolute freedom and register with great accesses or grooves in the head are made of the curacy, and I attain this main object in the desired shape or form, preferably such as will present instance by a construction and arreceive the rings or portions cut from cylin- 4o rangement of parts well adapted to make use drical bushings, and these are first pressed of a material or bearing having a low coeffiinto the recesses in the head, when the latter, cient of friction, and consequently little wear, With the attached rings, is inserted into the and at the same time to make an exceedingly shell and forced up snugly against the seat cheap, simple, and efficient application of the or flange 17, and the head may be secured in 5 45 same. There are numerous materials in the the shell. The interior of the socket-bearing market having this general characteristic, then presents the sharp edges of the inner such, for instance, as compounds of graphite portions of the rings or bushings, as indicated and similar substances, and these materials in dotted outlines 18, Figs. 2 and 3, and the are furnished to the trade in certain wellfinal operation is to reduce these sharp edges I00 50 known forms, such, for instance, as tubes or to the proper form, which may be done by hollow cylinders of various sizes, and it is chucking the socket and turning out the material to the desired spherical contour in any suitable and well-known way. This will present a socket-bearing having alternate faces of metal and antifrietion material in the form of concentric rings; but to relieve the ball 10 of all metallic bearing the rings or ridges of metal may be slightly recessed, as indicated at 19.

Obviously, the cylindrical rings or bushings may all be inserted from above into a single head, as indicated in Fig. 3, the head being recessed or grooved, so that the rings are without metallic separation, the bushings being nested one within the other, and when the final operation is completed they present a practically continuous face of antifriction material. I prefer, however, a construction similar to that indicated in Figs. 1 and 2 for hard service and best results, in that the fragile antifriction material is better supported and less liable to crumble and escape when the intervening metallic rings or bearing portions 19 are used.

As is well known, it is somewhat difficult to machine compounds of graphite to a uniformly accurate gage, as the cutting-points of the tool soon become glazed and dull. Hence to obviate this difficulty I find it advantageous to machine the socket-bearin g to an approximate size and shape, but less in diameter than that of the accurately-formed metal ball 10, used in connection with the bearing, and I then provide the ball with depressionsas, for instance, a groove 20the sharp edges of which, when the ball is in position and oscillated in its usual operation, produce a shear action upon the antifriction compound, quickly resulting in reducing the socket-bearing to the proper size and furnishing a complete and uniform bearing-surface for the ball, and I have found that the action of the antifriction compound on the edges of the groove will soon dull them and prevent undue removal of the material. The ball is preferably provided, as indicated in the drawings, with a helical or spiral groove 20, as this form apparently gives the best results.

Having thus explained the nature and object of my invention and pointed out the preferred manner of embodying the same, it will be understood that I do not limit myself to the precise details of construction and arrangement of parts, as these can be varied by those skilled in the art to suit the circumstances of any particular construction of meter.

\Vhat I claim is- 1. In a disk water-meter, a socket-bearing for the ball comprising a shell, a head, and a plurality of concentric bushings of antifriction compound, substantially as described.

In a disk water-meter, the combination with the disk-casin g, the disk and the ball, of the shell, the head, and the concentric rings of graphite compound, substantially as described.

In a disk water-meter, the combination with the disk-casing, the disk and the ball, of a socket-bearin g comprising a shell having an internal flange, a head provided with recesses, and concentric blocks of graphite compound mounted in said recesses, substantially as described.

4.. In a disk watenmeter, the combination with the disk-casing, the disk and the ball, of a detachable socket-bearin g comprising a shell, and a head with a plurality of concentrio recesses and with rings of graphite com pound mounted therein, substantially as described.

5. In a disk Water-meter, the combination with a socket-bearing provided with antifriction material, of a ball, the surface of the ball in contact with the antifriction material being provided with depressions, substantially as described.

6. In a disk water-meter, the combination with a socket-bearing provided with antifriction material, of a ball, the surface of the ball in contact with the antifriction material being provided with a helical groove, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

J OIIN THOMSON.

\Vitnesses:

JULIUS BLUMBERG, MEYER KRASNER. 

